Insights on Immigration: criminals only?

If it is truly a serious administration priority, we should see a long-term budget and organizational commitment comprised of ICE personnel and fugitive teams deployed on this effort beyond this one fiscal year.

David Shirk, director of the Trans-Border Institute at USD

Yes and no. There is no doubt that recent efforts by the Obama administration go far beyond anything seen under President George W. Bush, only stopping short of enlisting Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones to hunt down and expel “criminal aliens” to a galaxy far, far away. Yet there is some debate about the policy.

Should the government pick and choose those whom it deports or adopt a more uniform policy targeting all immigration violators? Does current policy really target serious criminals, or just trump up minor offenses that would otherwise merit a fine? When serious criminals are deported, do they stay abroad to wreak havoc in the receiving country, or do they return to the United States illegally to wreak havoc here?

Still, deporting “criminals” is obviously politically popular and buys otherwise law-abiding undocumented immigrants some time until we can develop a more sensible immigration policy and a path to legal residency. Just try not to jaywalk until 2015.